Day 47 of 365

Well, I did it. I did my physical therapy exercises today. Just a short session, but I did them nonetheless.

I almost talked myself out of it. I went grocery shopping this morning and it wore me out. I like shopping during a weekday when the stores aren't as crowded, but the trade off is that I have to go by myself then. And for me driving 20 miles, then shopping and bending to get things off shelves and putting them in the cart, then on the belt at the register, then in the car, driving 20 miles back, then up the stairs into my house, then unpacking and bending and lifting again - it just does me in. Mostly my back. That's why I usually do small grocery shopping (just a few bags) each week. But this week we were out of some things, plus I have plans for some new recipes this week and needed specific items.

Like dried peaches. My husband got a subscription to Food Network Magazine for Christmas, and as he was perusing this month's issue he came across a recipe for White Chocolate and Peach Oatmeal Cookies. (He likes cooking, but if there ever is a recipe that he likes that involving baking, he turns it over to me.)

I got up early to go to town to WinCo. I typically never shop there since it's always so very busy and you have to bag your own groceries (and you can imagine what that would be like for me). I figured if I was going to get dried peaches that would be the most likely place to have them since they have a huge bulk foods department. Rows and rows of bulk foods. About anything you'd ever want. From flour to chocolate covered gummi bears to dried pineapple and mangoes. I found white chocolate chips for the recipe, but do you think they had dried peaches anywhere on row three? Nope.

All the bottom barrels (two rows deep of bottom barrels) and no dried peaches. And no dried peaches in the regular baking section. So now I have a bag of dried apricots instead. More than I need for the newly named White Chocolate and Apricot Oatmeal Cookies.

Day 46 of 365

I think I should start calling my sewing room a quilt studio.

I have been hammering out these quilt tops like crazy. I used some of the fabric I received in the mail yesterday and now have three more finished. My plan is to do two more, then start assembling the batting and backing and start the actual quilting. That will give me eight kids' quilts to send off. Whew!

Eight quilts within a month is a bit excessive, I suppose. But when I decide to start something, I can get a bit obsessive about finishing it. Although, that quilt in the frame that I fought with on Day 38 is still sitting in the frame, untouched. I imagine it needs my attention, but I've been so overly focused on these children's quilts that I haven't come up for air. And I've been slacking on something else, too.

Last month when I went back to my shoulder surgeon, he had given me until the end of April to put both arms behind my back or I'd have to go back and be treated for frozen shoulder. Which could mean more surgeries. Well, it's almost the end of April and I still can't get both arms behind my back. But part of it is my fault. I've been slacking on my physical therapy. Really slacking.

I was given exercises to do at home several times a week, but I haven't been making it a priority. You'd think the threat of more surgeries would get me in gear, but after a year and a half of going to physical therapy non stop for my back, my knee, and my shoulders, I guess I just got tired of doing it. And I guess I got lazy.

It's not like I don't have the time. I don't have a job and don't have kids at home. I've just been spending my time doing things that don't tax my body. Things like sewing and sometimes baking. (And writing my blog, of course.) Part of the issue is that always-always-always before physical therapy I had to take pain medication. That's not happening now. I'm totally and completely free of pain medication. Even those days I struggle the most I am refusing to take those meds, and I'm not about to start again now. So I know doing the physical therapy I need will hurt. And like I've written before, I've become more of a pain-avoider than a pleasure seeker these days.

But I need to get myself in gear, and now. I have to commit to therapy sessions (it's more of a cram session now) to avoid the frozen shoulder syndrome. Besides, I can't wait to be able to finally, on my own without assistance, affix a certain undergarment that requires a lady to have her hands behind her back.

Guess these quilt tops won't get as much attention as I had planned. Or at least they might move down on my priority list.